


The Physics of Force

by Sillypennie4



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben teaches Rey the ways of the force, Big Time Jump, But not really because there is nothing going on while she is a kid, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Just a sweet story, Mentions of abuse/neglect, No Underage Sex, No one saw that coming!, Rey Needs A Hug, Teacher Ben Solo, Teacher Rey (Star Wars), Teacher-Student Relationship, Tropes, What? Crazy!, she is now a teacher at the same school!, unlikely friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23098804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sillypennie4/pseuds/Sillypennie4
Summary: He was teaching freshman Physical Sciences.As far as Ben Solo was concerned, he thought that was perfect. Freshman were still scared. They were in a brand new school after leaving Jr. high. All the upperclassmen, new teachers, and classes, terrified them enough to behave.Most of them anyway.How did that slip of a girl -the one with the three buns- always get detention?
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 117
Kudos: 235





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hpsmlove143](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hpsmlove143/gifts).



> I hate starting new stories while I am still writing other ones. The fact that I am currently writing two other fanfics and my second book and now this one - for me - is madness. Truth: This probably won't be long. I will not update consistently. You are forewarned. But thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! And thanks to Hpsmlove143 for putting the prompt out there!

He was teaching freshman Physical Sciences.

As far as Ben Solo was concerned, he thought that was perfect. Freshman were still scared. They were in a brand-new school after leaving Jr. high. All the upperclassmen, new teachers, and classes, terrified them enough to behave.

It was also rather fortunate because this was his very first year teaching on his own. No more student teaching, no more classes and credits and certifications that needed to be acquired; he was fortunate for that, but this was it. No one could be his safety net. Since he was so young, if he taught seniors, they might not take him seriously.

At 24 almost 25, a nice 10-year age gap between himself and his pupils felt safe. If the age difference didn’t intimidate them, it would certainly be his 6 foot 3 inches of broad muscle, or the facial hair he grew out, to make his boyish face look more mature.

He couldn’t afford to let these kids think he was a pushover because he was new. A class full of rowdy teens could become a nightmare if one was unable to keep them in line. And he had every intention of keeping them inline.

He glanced down at his watch, pulling back the light blue sleeve of his button up shirt. He kept the face of the clock at the inside of his wrist, rather than the more traditional way of keeping it facing out.

Ben had only a few more minutes left before the bell rang, dismissing the students from their homeroom to come to first period.

The intended syllabus was on his desk in a nice neat pile. All his pens and pencils were lined up beside one another, with a good, old fashion, notebook. A thick, warn out Science text book lay, ready to be used, brimming with knowledge. It was his very own science book that he had taken ownership of over the summer, to prepare for the fall. He had notes written in the margins and post-its bookmarking certain sections.

A blaring ring resounded down the halls and Ben steeled himself, ready for what the year would bring.

Wide eyed youths walked into the class. Some looked nervous. They were all wearing their “first day of school” best outfits. Ben could practically see the price tags sticking out on the sleeves of their shirts.

“Take a seat anywhere,” Ben called out. “I will be sitting you in alphabetical order as soon as everyone gets here, so don’t get too comfortable.”

Ben scanned the room as they all shifted uncomfortably in their blue seats behind tan desks. The bell rang. He went to the door to shut it, but before he could, he heard a frantic, “Wait!”

He startled as a skinny girl with three buns came barreling into the room. Her arms clutched a binder to her chest. The sweater hanging off her shoulders didn’t look like it was still freshly creased from being folded on a store shelf the way the other student’s clothes did. She had wide, hazel eyes that flashed with anxiety.

“You’re late,” Ben snapped. “I know it is your first day but I expect punctuality.”

She grumbled an apology, taking a place toward the back.

“Ok students, welcome to Physical Sciences. My name is, Mr. Solo.” He pointed to the whiteboard that had his name written in his signature script handwriting. “I will be taking roll call and as I do, I would like you to sit in alphabetical order.”

A collective groan echoed off the tile floors and cement walls.

“The first person will start here, on my left, and we will go to the right, then row by row,” Ben motioned with the end of his marker so they understood. “Alexander, Carter.”

Carter, a dark-haired boy, pouted and sat himself in the front at the first desk with distaste, probably sick of always being the first one called.

“Anand, Kinal.”

The next took his seat as well with lots of foot dragging.

“Let’s speed this up people. We don’t have all day,” Ben stated firmly. “Andor, Rey.”

The girl who had been late, scurried up to the front row. She gave him a tight-lipped smile as she plopped in her seat, obviously taking his statement to hurry up seriously.

He continued the rest of the roll call without incident. Then handed out their books.

“I expect all of these books to have a cover by the end of the week. I don’t care if you cover them in a paper bag or some fancy fabric one, just so long as it is done. If not, you will get a detention. I don’t care if it is the first week.” Ben could already see that some of them were starting to loath him. Good.

He went desk by desk to hand each student in the front row a stack of papers, so they could take one page and pass the rest behind them.

The late girl's – he really should try to remember their names – hands trembled as she took the papers. He also noticed the callouses on her fingers and what looked like oil stains under her short nails. He frowned, telling himself there was nothing to worry about, even though it unsettled him.

“As you see, I am letting you all know what we will be going over this year. We will first be learning about forces, motion, dynamics, energy and electricity. Does anyone know what a force is in science?”

The room at large gave him blank or confused expressions. Ben sighed, thinking it was going to be a long year, but very suddenly a hand shot up.

It was the late girl, the one with the buns, the one with dirty nails.

“Yes miss…” Ben had to look at his clipboard. “Andor.”

“In science, force is the push or pull on an object with mass that causes it to change velocity, in other words, to accelerate. Force represents as a vector, which means it has both magnitude and direction,” The girl said confidently, almost excitedly. He was a bit surprised by her English accent, and briefly wondered how she had ended up here, in suburbia.

The boy sitting in the desk directly behind her snickered into his hand. The girl in the front row shrunk in on herself. She seemed so defeated, so down trodden.

Ben glared at the student that laughed, and the sound caught in his throat.

“You!” Ben pointed at the student with the end of his white board marker. “If you find intelligence and competence funny, then I foresee Ms. Andor being your own personal comedian this year, and you repeating the 9th grade. Let us see if you are still laughing then.”

The other student went white as a sheet. Ben was happy to see the girl perk up a little. She looked up at him with surprise and gratitude.

“Now that I have everyone’s attention, let’s begin.”

The rest of the class went without incident. They went over a few things they would be learning and he gave them a homework assignment.

When the bell rang, he heard them muttering to their friends about how unfair it was to have homework on the first day.

Ben was so absorbed in making sure he had everything he needed for the next group of students that he did a double take when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye.

Miss. Andor stood in front of his desk shifting her weight from foot to foot.

“Miss. Andor?” Ben said, watching her hazel eyes shift nervously. “You will be late to your next class. Is there something wrong?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but snapped her jaw shut. She shook her head no and scurried off.

Ben shrugged off her odd behavior.

The rest of the week was rather boring. Ben was starting to get a reputation around the school as a hard ass and he was thrilled. Most of his students were lazy and apathetic. He had a handful of students who were studious and hardworking, but he knew they were most-likely like that in all of their classes, trying to get straight As so they could go to some ivy league school.

And then there was Rey Andor. He had learned her name quite fast, because of how often she participated in class. Ben could tell that it wasn’t for the grade. She was genuinely interested in the subject. She not only answered questions when asked, but had her own insights, showing curiosity and excitement.

They only had one science lab a week and he couldn’t forget the way her face had lit up when he had taught them about centripetal force. She was in awe as she watched a penny in a blown-up balloon zoom around inside. She took notes and watched closely as he explained how they used this force to make roller coasters safer and gave examples by swinging a bucket of water around over his head and not a drop fell.

The quiet loner even started saying hello to him every morning. _Hello, Mr. Solo._ She would brightly say. Ben would be lying if he said her daily greetings didn’t leave a small warmth in his chest. Outwardly, he would only give a solemn tilt of his head.

It was Friday morning and he went around each desk making sure their books were covered. He had started in the back this time and made his way upfront, marking everything down in his grade book. When he got to the last row and came to Rey’s desk he deeply frowned.

Her book sat on her desk still uncovered. She couldn’t even look up at him as she chewed her bottom lip.

“Looks like teacher’s pet is getting detention!” A girl in the middle of the classroom said. The one with all the designer clothes, always snapping her gum. He forgot her name. He was sure it was something obnoxious like Cristal, or Chardonnay or Aquafina.

Ben couldn’t let her slide. He couldn’t show favoritism. “Rey,” Ben said with as much disappointment in his tone as he could muster. “You know you had until the end of the week. I am sorry, but it’s a Saturday detention for you.”

She didn’t whine, complain, bargain or curse his name. She was oddly silent, accepting her punishment. Her knobby fingers played with the frayed edges of her shirt sleeves, and it hurt his heart. He wanted more than anything to tell the poor kid that it was okay, she could cover her book next week and not get a detention. But he didn’t. He couldn’t.

For the rest of the day, Ben Solo was in a very foul mood.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben had trouble sleeping over the weekend, feeling a nagging guilt for giving one of his best students a Saturday detention. On Monday, he came back to the school bright and early. He wondered if Rey was going to dislike him as much as the rest of his students now. It shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did.

The bell rang and Ben waited. He saw the three buns bobbing at the back of her head, in a crowd that rushed through the door.

She lifted her chin, smiled and said, “Hello, Mr. Solo.” She slid into her seat, bright as ever.

He was shocked that she was not holding a grudge. Usually teenagers were emotional and fickle, but Rey didn’t seem to fit in that category. In his stupor he actually responded with, “Good morning, Ms. Andor.”

And she simply reacted with an even wider smile, splitting her face in two.

Ben sat at his desk and blinked a few times before he remembered who he was, what he was doing, and why he was even there. As he stood to tell them the page they had to turn to, he noticed Rey’s science book. It still had not been covered.

***

By Friday, it was week two down. Some of his students were getting more comfortable and acting up. Ben handed out two more after-school detentions that week. Some kids were goofing off in the lab. He didn’t even want to think about what they would be like once they had to use Bunsen burners.

“Ben,” Mr. Ackbar had called, just as he was about to leave for the day. He stopped in the middle of the hall that was clearing quickly because everyone- including teachers- wanted to go home. Gritting his teeth, he halted and answered, “Yes?” He didn’t bother hiding his utter annoyance.

Mr. Ackbar was never one of Ben’s favorites. He was the vice principle, but he was a bit of a dimwit. He had rather silly mannerisms that lead the student body to mimic and mock him often. His suits were polyester disasters from the 70s. He also always had a peculiar odor that caused Ben to cringe.

“I’m just going to get right to it. Is there anyway, you can take over this Saturday’s detention?”

Ben stiffened his bottom lip. “No.” He said firmly. He had come to learn so long as you said something with enough authority no one questioned you on it.

Mr. Akbar’s shoulders went up around his ears. “As a new teacher here, without tenure I thought you would want to help out anyway you could.”

“Well your train of thought is severely flawed then,” Ben informed. The newer teachers were on rotation to supervise detentions as a bit of a hazing ritual. He was in no hurry to add an extra day to his regular schedule. As it was, he already had to do it next Saturday, so two weeks in a row was unacceptable.

Mr. Akbar’s cheeks puffed out in anger. “Mr. Solo. I want to take this opportunity to remind you that your contract at this school is currently only for one year. If I were you, and wanted to continue my employment here, I would be working a little harder to prove my value to the staff. Besides, this Saturday should be easy, there is only one student with detention that you would have to watch.”

Ben rolled his eyes hard enough that even his neck moved. “Fine.” Without another word, he left.

***

Not being able to sleep in a bit had Ben more crabby than usual. This was a last-minute demand and Ben had plans to go to the gym, but that was shot to hell. Ben wore his slacks and a button up shirt but refused to put on a tie. He carried ungraded assignments in a briefcase thinking he would put his time to good use by getting them done.

Detention was held in the school library. Trudging over, Ben pulled on the door and gave a polite nod to the ancient librarian. The school was in a richer district, but they didn’t have anything overly fancy. The library was nice but hadn’t been updated in a long time. The carpet was a strange dark green, that reminded him of olives gone bad. Books stood on the shelves, clustered together, stuffed into the space, because the library was not large enough for all the texts they kept. The librarian was sentimental and refused to get rid of anything.

Ben sighed heavily as he made his way to the center of the room, where long glossy study tables were lined up. Ben sat at the head of one and waited for the unfortunate student that would be his charge. He bent over the desk deciding he would start marking the papers while he waited. Frowning at his watch, he noticed the time. They should be there any minute. They were not permitted to be late.

“Hello, Mr. Solo!” A familiar voice called, and Ben snapped to attention.

Rey Andor stood beside him with a backpack slung over one shoulder. She was wearing an oversized brown hoodie that came down mid-thigh over her worn out jeans.

“Miss. Andor,” Ben blinked at her, stunned to see her outside of his science room, as if it were not possible for her to exist anywhere else.

“Are you the teacher supervising detention today?” Rey tilted her head to the side like a curious dog. Her eyes owlish.

Ben cleared his throat before speaking, “Yes. I did not expect to see you here, Miss. Andor. I hope you aren’t here because of a serious offense.”

Rey handed Ben her detention slip that she was supposed to get signed by her guardian, and the detention supervisor. She shrugged. “I got into a fight.”

Ben sat there, immobile. Rey Andor? Quiet, loner, Rey Andor, in a fight? And where was this other person? It took two to tango. Did the other kid not get detention? Ben couldn’t explain his indignation that she was the only one there.

“And this second party is not joining us?” Ben asked, feeling his brow scrunch.

“No,” Rey said, as she shifted from one foot to the other, a bit uncomfortable. “It was my fault. One of the boys sitting by me at lunch was goofing off and swiped my tapioca cup, so I tackled him.” She mumbled the last bit, her face turning scarlet, causing her freckles to stand out more.

The corner of Ben’s mouth twitched as his forehead smoothed. “Well, serves them right. They shouldn’t have gotten so close to your tapioca. In some countries that’s grounds for arrest.”

Rey barked a laugh, her shoulders dropping in relief.

“On a serious, note, Miss. Andor, you should never resort to violence as a solution to a problem,” Ben chastised. As her teacher he knew he was supposed to say that, but he still felt like a hypocrite. At her age, all he did was resort to violence. More times than not, he still had to close his eyes and count to 10 to not yell at the dimwits he encountered on a daily basis.

“I will keep that in mind, Mr. Solo.” Rey sat down on the long side of the desk next to him, maintaining a respectful distance to still give the impression that he was there as her disciplinarian and not her friendly science teacher.

“Well, I hadn’t planned on giving you any kind of work or anything,” Ben began. “I thought I would just let whatever delinquent I had, sit there in silence.”

Rey pressed her lips, but he could tell she was fighting a smile. “Kind of like an adult’s version of time out.”

Ben pouted. “Ok, what did you have to do the last time you got detention?”

“They made us watch Netflix on our cells and fed us ice cream and cake. It was terrible. Don’t make me do that again.” Rey faked a terror filled expression.

Ben puffed out a breath of air that could have almost been a laugh. “For that, you are definitely getting the adult version of a time-out,” Ben said, trying hard not to be amused. He was the mature grown up here, after all. “So just sit there and be quiet and - I don’t know - think about what you did wrong.”

“What I did wrong was I shouldn’t have tackled that boy in front of the vice principle. I should have waited until Mr. Ackbar turned around.” Rey slouched in her seat and folded her arms.

“Ok, enough conversation,” Ben said with a firm tone. “Time to reflect on your misdeeds, silently.”

Rey grunted in resolve and stared at the adjacent wall, giving it a dirty glare.

Ben, being satisfied with her current state, turned his attention back to his work. He compared their homework to his answer key and moved through them rather quickly. This was going to be a long three hours if he finished them too fast. Beside the clicking of the wall clock and the slide of Ben’s pen against the pages, the room was silent. The elderly librarian pinched her face as she organized books on her kart, to return to the shelves. Rey squirmed in her seat not knowing what to do with herself.

Not even half way through grading his papers, and Ben seriously considered a change in careers. He must be an abysmal teacher if these assignments were so subpar. They must have not been learning anything.

Ben had been completely entrenched in his task when he felt an uneasy prickling on the back of his neck. The weight of someone’s eyes pressed against him. His red pen stopped writing mid-comment.

In his periphery, he noticed, Rey sitting in her seat and studying him closely. Her expression was one of concentration but also mildly puzzled, as if she were trying to read Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Ben straightened and gave her a pointed look. “Is there something concerning you Miss. Andor?”

Rey shook herself slightly as if coming out from a daze. “Sorry, Mr. Solo, just wondering if you have gotten to mine yet.” She pointed at the pile of work on the table.

Ben shuffled his papers. Rey was in his first period class so he had already done theirs. In his briefcase he had a number of folders, one for each of his classes. He couldn’t remember exactly what she had gotten but he remembered it was a good score. She was top of her class.

He found hers and a small bubble of pride inflated in his chest. Her’s, had been the one bright light among all the dreck. A very respectable 92. He thought she would be delighted, but as he handed her the page, he saw her face drop. She sucked in her bottom lip and her brow scrunched.

“Is there something wrong?” Ben asked.

Rey stared at the sheets of paper, going over each and every answer, one by one. “It’s fine, I just thought-” Rey huffed out a long breath. “I worked a long time on this and I was really hoping for a perfect score.”

Ben raised his eyebrows, though her ambition was admirable, a 92 was a satisfactory score.

Rey must have noticed his confusion because she was quick to answer, “I am really hoping to get a scholarship for majoring in science. A lot of them you have to apply for if you want grants for specific subjects. I know I am only a freshman but it is never too early to prepare.” She lifted a shoulder as if it was not a big deal.

Ben was quite impressed with her foresight and ambition. “Don’t worry. There will be other assignments to make up for this one.” He encouraged. “Your parents must be really proud of you, being so proactive.”

Rey’s eyes got wide and her bottom lip wobbled. What had he said? She appeared to be discouraged somehow. She swallowed loudly and said, “My parents, they - they aren’t really in the picture.”

Ben had no idea how to respond. He felt cold.

“I’m in the system and unless someone adopts me, I am on my own once I turn 18.” Her voice got small. “The chance of a foster care kid graduating high school is slim, much less going to college. I have to work twice as hard.” Rey slid down in her seat as if she was embarrassed by what she had told him.

Ben set his jaw. His nostril’s flared at the injustice of it.

With new eyes Ben saw Rey and her beat up clothes, her dirty nails and underfed frame, sitting in detention. He wondered who her foster family was and if they were taking care of her. She tackled a boy for taking her food. Were they not even meeting her basic needs?

Deep in his chest he felt a sharp sting. He knew getting into this line of work there would be times he would see kids in bad situations, but he wasn’t prepared for the reality of it.

After a few deep breaths, he made a decision, that he was going to keep a closer eye on her.

“How about we go over the ones you had trouble with, hm?” Ben asked, leaning in a bit so they could both see the page.

Rey looked relieved, grateful. And Ben felt privileged, being able to help her.

***

Monday morning was cold. He couldn’t believe it was only fall with how quickly the temperature dropped. More concerning than the weather, however was Rey. After her detention, he saw her walking away, alone, with the backpack hanging on her shoulders. Something about the way she moved, up the long road, ate away at him. With a devastating epiphany, Ben knew what was bothering him. She seemed, lonely. His heart hurt, because he felt that emotion echoed in himself as he stood beside his car watching her disappear.

The bell for homeroom to end, resonated through the halls. Ben sat at his desk keeping his eyes on the day’s lesson plan. It was too early for any of the kids to be fully awake, so none of them acknowledged him as they come in. All except one.

“Hello, Mr. Solo,” Rey said merrily. She plopped herself at her desk, and opened her science book eagerly.

He inclined his head in a greeting, as he waited for the rest of the class to settle down.

“Hey, Rey,” That girl with the too long, sparkly nails and designer handbag said, in a mocking tone. “Nice coat you had on this morning.”

Ben watched as Rey’s mouth became a hard line and her eyes reduced to slits at, Evian or Marlot, or something like that. All he could remember was that she was named after a beverage.

“Didn’t know Dumpster Diver Chic was a thing,” She snickered to one of her lemming sidekicks. They both had on way too much make up and wore clothes that were obviously trying to age them up.

He watched as Rey’s hands curled into fists and her body tensed in her seat.

“Enough dragging your feet. Everyone should be sitting in their assigned spots by now,” Ben barked, causing the snobby girl and her friend to jump out of her skin before scrambling to their desks.

Ben’s temper rose as he wondered what inadequate protection from the cold Rey had been sporting that morning. He gnashed his teeth, before distracting himself with the day’s lesson.

***

Another week down and Ben was starting to feel like the school year was whizzing by. His first year teaching was far more pleasant than he expected. He had heard that it was going to be his most difficult, but it wasn’t at all.

More students were starting to become engaged as time went on. Ben even found himself being cordial to his fellow teachers.

After Saturday’s detention with Rey, he noticed that she was decidedly more outgoing, less reserved than before. Now even if she spotted him in the hallway she would not hesitate to cheer. “Hello, Mr. Solo!” She reminded him of a puppy, always so happy to see him. Ben didn’t think anyone had ever been this pleased to see him, not even his own parents.

He had to fight himself not to seem too delighted. Something about her made him want to smile back. He felt a cheerfulness whenever she was around. She certainly lived up to her name, like a ray of sunshine, a ray of light in the darkness. It was strong enough to break down his angry cynical walls. And he felt thankful that he met her, that she was born and existed in the same time and place as himself.

***

Last period study hall needed someone to cover, because apparently, the gym teacher who usually sat there to make sure the kids didn’t get into any trouble, ‘pulled a wicked hammy’ according to what he told the principle. So there was Ben, watching a bunch of bored teens, while some did homework, took a nap on the desk, or chatted quietly with their friends. Others texted on their cells.

“I thought I was going to be sick, when we were changing for gym. She was just skin and bones.”

Ben’s ears perked up at a familiar, grating voice. He whipped his head around. Just his good luck. Brandy or Martini or Sherry - whatever her name was - from his first period was there chatting with a group of her clones. Ben decided he was going to remember what her name was so when he looked into whether he could lower someone’s grade for being an insufferable little prat, he knew who to mark down.

“Yeah, like do you think she is anorexic?” Another one said in their little group. Their heads were all leaned in close together, gossiping.

“I have lunch period with Rey, and she hardly ever has food with her. She just chews on a granola bar or has a gross cup of tapioca. Some days she only gulps down cups of water,” One of the other ones said.

Ben felt dizzy at the mention of Rey’s name. His whole body turned to ice. She didn’t eat lunch? The temperature of his body steadily rose until he felt like his face was boiling. His fury at Rey having to struggle everyday for a simple meal, plagued his thoughts. He had to do something. He couldn’t take the nausea rolling in him at this knowledge. The bell rang and the day was over, but he had plans to put into place.

***

Ben went right to the school office as soon as the last bell rang for the day.

“Hey, Mrs. Montha,” Ben said, to the head school secretary.

The woman with short cropped air turned around and gave him a smile that didn’t touch her eyes.

“You have the files on all the students, right? Could you check something?” Ben said wanting to get right down to business.

“It depends, what did you want to know?” Mrs. Montha’s eyes became slits, her back straight.

Ben folded himself up to sit at the small chair in front of her desk. “I want to know if a student is on the free or discounted lunch list, and if they aren’t what needs to get done to put them on.”

“Hmmm,” she said leaning back and looking much less hostile with the knowledge that he was trying to do something good. “What is the name?”

“Andor, Rey.” Ben said leaning forward.

She clicked away on her computer, typing in Rey’s name. “She isn’t on the program and if she does want to be on it, then there has to be forms filled out. The parents or guardians have to do the paperwork.”

Ben frowned. If whoever was taking care of her couldn’t even be bothered to feed her, they certainly would not go through the trouble of filing paperwork. “And if for some reason they are unable to?”

“What is this all about, Ben?” She gave him a shrewd frown. “There are confidentiality laws in place. The parent or guardian has to fill out the paperwork,” She said sticking to her guns.

“Ok. I understand that,” Ben conceded, even if he thought the rules on it were idiotic. “Can I at least get the paperwork to give to my student?”

“I can give you the application and the website, for their guardian to go on. They can do either one. They do verify income, so they have to fill it out honestly.” She wrote it down on a slip of paper and handed it to him with the paper application. Ben snatched it up as he stood to leave.

“Ben!”

He turned around to a worried face. “If you ever suspect abuse of any kind, you have to report it.”

Ben sighed. “I would.” He nodded as he turned to leave. He hoped he didn’t have to turn Rey’s foster family in. Would she be placed elsewhere? Was where she was now better than other places in the past? Maybe he was mistaken about Rey, and she just liked the grunge style of clothes and had a really fast metabolism.

He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat, knowing he was lying to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

It was the second Saturday in a row that Ben had detention duty. He scowled and dragged his feet all the way to the library. There was no way he was going to be so lucky as to have only one person again.

And he was right. Four students already sat at the long tables, with faces screwed up in annoyance. Three boys and one girl gave him looks of distain. Ben blew out a long breath. These kids probably thought that they didn’t deserve to be there and it was everyone else’s fault that they wound up in Saturday detention.

Ben brought his briefcase again. He had plenty of work to do so he thought he would use his time wisely. Detention technically didn’t start for another few minutes.

“If everyone would please hand me their detention slips and phone. It will be returned to you after this little – congress - is over.” There was lots of grumbling and protests. He went from student to student collecting the items.

“Hello, Mr. Solo!”

Ben spun on his heal, his mouth gaping open at the sight of Rey Andor in the library again!

“Miss, Andor? What are you doing here, again?” Ben asked shell shocked.

Her chestnut hair was in her usual three buns, but wisps of hair fell around her face. She wore a black long sleeve t-shirt and jeans that were too big for her, so they were held up by a thick black belt.

“I could ask you the same thing. Don’t the teachers rotate?” Rey inquired holding out her arm with the detention slip.

“Yes, I got roped into having to do two in a row.” Ben explained, taking the paper from her. “So, what have you done this time? Hopefully not something pudding related.” Ben said trying to add levity to the situation.

Rey’s face turned to the ground and the tips of her ears turned pink. “Well the gym teacher threatened to give me detention if I didn’t change into my gym clothes and I really didn’t want to, so I said no and well, here I am.” She swallowed and her lips pushed forward a bit.

Ben’s heart plummeted to the ground. He had heard those girls making fun of her. If he were Rey, he wouldn’t have wanted to get undressed, exposed to the critical eyes of fellow classmates. And he knew her enough that she wouldn’t have been able to confide in her teacher that she was being harassed.

“I see,” was all Ben could muster. “Take a seat, Miss. Andor.”

She gave an affirmative nod of her head before taking a seat in the same spot as she had been in last time.

He had planned on having them just sit in silence. That was his go to for detention, since the slow torture of being away from any distractions was probably punishment enough for their teenage minds. But now that Rey was there…

“Listen up,” Ben called. He stood in front of the desks with his hands in his dress pant pockets. “I am giving you a choice today because I am feeling benevolent. You can either sit in silence the whole time and think about what you did wrong, or I could give you an assignment to work on so your time here will enrich your education.”

One boy in the back groaned and his head lulled back as he lowered in his chair. Another looked at him as if he were insane, the other two snarled at the suggestion. It was only Rey that sat up taller, her eyebrows raised in interest.

Her hand shot up in the air, “I will do one.”

Ben didn’t miss how everyone else in the group gave Rey sour grimaces.

“No other takers?” Ben asked rocking on his heal, knowing full well that the others would not take him up on the offer.

“I would rather drink my own urine,” one of the boys said with a sly grin. The other boy sitting closest to him simpered.

“I ask that you, please refrain from your usual hobbies while in detention,” Ben quipped.

The boy opened his mouth, floored by Ben’s insult. His cohort laughed, and he got a smack on the arm for it. None of the other kids beside Rey were his students. They would soon learn that he didn’t tolerate back talk.

“Miss. Andor, I will give you something to work on.” Ben motioned for her to come to where he was sitting. 

Rey stood beside him with her arms folded behind her back, as he straightened out his work.

“We are still working on forces in science. The next section we will be going over is magnetic forces. It is possibly one of my favorite subjects,” Ben explained, and he knew that excitement was creeping into his usually bored tone. “We will be talking about the polarity of the Earth. How magnetic fields move particles either drawing in or repelling.”

“Will we be going over Tesla’s rotating magnetic fields and alternating current?” Rey’s eyes flashed, and a brilliant smile stretched across her face.

Ben raised his eye brows, “You are familiar with Tesla and his work?” He leaned against the long table resting his thigh against it, facing Rey.

Rey’s eyes crinkled at the corners, “I’m not a DC kinda girl. AC all the way.”

Ben chuckled at her eccentric reply.

“I’m glad you understood that. I tried to joke with a boy who had on a Batman t-shirt once. He asked me if I liked D.C. I told him I preferred A.C. and he just looked at me like I grew a second head.” Rey reminisced.

Ben bit his lips to keep himself from grinning.

“We won’t get too in depth on Tesla’s specific works, unfortunately, since this is a freshman high school class, and we have a year’s worth of work to get through. But I have some great physics books from college still around that you might enjoy.” Ben motioned for her to take a seat and he sat down beside her. “If you really like science in general. You can borrow this. I have read it a few times.”

Ben bent over the side of his seat going into his briefcase. He had finished all his correcting last time rather quickly and knew that he would need a book to keep himself occupied. He pulled out his worn-out copy of _The Physics of the Impossible._

Rey’s interest had been piqued. She sat up taller than before. He handed her the book, and she enthusiastically read the cover. “This looks like it is going to be really interesting.”

The paperback wasn’t too thick and it was a relatively easy read, the author writing it clearly and concise.

“You can read that as your detention assignment,” Ben said in mock sternness.

Rey looked over at him and giggled, vibrating with excitement. She opened up the first page, then rolled up her sleeves as if she was preparing to dive right in.

The warmth spreading in Ben turned to ice when he saw what was on Rey’s arm. Bruises. Faded purple marks that looked suspiciously like finger prints scattered her arm. His stomach dropped to his feet. He licked his dry lips. Anger rose, coiled like a vicious viper inside him. Rey was completely absorbed in what she was reading, so much that she didn’t see Ben shaking with rage. Swallowing and taking deep breaths he spoke as calmly as he could. “Where did you get those bruises, Rey?”

She turned to him, her mouth agape as her attention went from him to her arm and back again. She pulled her sleeve back down before stuttering, “I um, I am really accident prone. I went to stretch my arms and smacked them against the book shelve at my foster home.”

Ben knew she was lying. Her foster family didn’t feed her and was also knocking her around. His fists curled, and he grit his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to give those pieces of garbage a taste of their own medicine.

“Is it just you there? Like are there any other foster kids that also live there or maybe a biological child?” Ben wondered if there were more. He was sickened to think that there might be others too, maybe foster kids that were younger.

Rey’s eyes narrowed. Her bright and cheery disposition becoming closed off and cautious. She reminded him so much of that girl on the first day of school who was quiet and stoic. “No. It’s just me, and my foster father, Unkar.”

A light bulb went off in Ben’s memory. “Is that Unkar Plutt? The one that owns all the car salvage shops?” They were all over the place. And his father frequented his shops, always trying to find parts to fix his ancient car. He always over charged. There was no way that man didn’t have enough income to feed her. He forced himself to calm down, to not flip the table in the library in anger.

“Yeah, that’s him,” Rey sniffed. “Why do you ask?”

Ben’s head started to swim, the edges of his vision going red. “Just wondering if he will be around for parent teacher conferences.” His voice sounded rough, but steady enough to not crack or get loud. “He should know he is raising a very intelligent young lady.”

He saw Rey’s expression soften. She turned back to her book. Ben sat at the head of the table once more, taking his briefcase with him.

The Saturday detention went painfully slow, especially now that Ben knew what he had to do. Ben checked the inside of his wrist for the millionth time, making sure to know the moment detention was over. He watched the second hand tick. 20 seconds… 15 seconds… 10 seconds… 5 seconds….

“Okay everyone detention is over. Please come and collect your electronic devices,” Ben stood, shaking the blood back into his legs. Each student took their cell phone and ran out, enjoying the taste of freedom.

Rey was the last one to come up to him. She dragged her feet, thrumming her fingers on the paperback he gave her. “I didn’t get as far as I would have liked,” Rey said. He could see how slowly she was handing him back the book. Ben didn’t even bother putting out his hands to take it.

“You can hang on to it, until you are done reading,” Ben assured her.

“Really? Are you sure?” Rey asked as if she couldn’t believe what he was actually saying. 

She gripped the book in both hands and held it to her chest as if it were something precious, instead of just paper with printed words stacked together.

There was no way he would be depriving her of finishing that book. “I’m sure.” The corners of Ben’s mouth lifted.

Her expression was radiant, as if he had handed her a million dollars.

“Thank you, so much! I will take good care of it,” Rey promised.

Ben bowed his head slightly as she took her things with a spring in her step. She waved over her shoulder at him and said, “See you Monday, Mr. Solo.”

Ben waved back watching her as she left the library. Once he was completely sure he was alone, he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited while it rang.

“Hello? Protection services? I would like to report potential neglect and abuse of a foster child.”

*

Ben had been in his classroom and ready to start, nice and early. He was excited to teach the next section on magnets, and he knew Rey would enjoy it after he made some slight modifications in the lesson plan to go a bit deeper on the subject.

His students filed in, taking their seats. Everyone was there, but there had been no _Hello, Mr. Solo_ that he had grown accustom to. The bell rang as Ben’s eyes flicked over to the door. She still wasn’t there. He frowned. He went to the door as if he were closing it, but deliberately looked up and down the empty hallway.

Where was she? He was worried, his stomach rolling. Was she sick? Had Unkar gone too far and really hurt her? Did protection services take her away? He didn’t think she was the type to skip class. Maybe she was late. Ben noticed he had been standing in the hall a little too long.

He shut the door behind himself as he came into the classroom. He paused at the scene before him. All of his students in their seats, their attention all on him. It seemed so incomplete without her excited hazel eyes and toothy smile.

Ben cleared his throat, walked to his desk, and started the day’s lesson.

Tuesday came as it always does after Monday. And with it came a new morning, a new day. But still no Rey. Wednesday and Thursday were the same. No Rey. Friday he had thought he had seen her in the hall. Chestnut hair in a bun bobbed in the crowd. But it was just a girl with one bun not three.

Ben worried. He worried all day Friday, until one of the school secretaries informed him that Rey was no longer going to be on his roster for his class. There was no other information given to him. And he had no right to one. To Rey he was just her teacher. He was no one.

He felt a lump in his throat and his heart felt a little heavier. It was like a bolder had been placed on his chest at the news and never was lifted again.


	4. Chapter 4

***Ten Years Later***

The teacher’s lounge was full. Not that the space was very large to begin with. There were a few generic, tan, round tables with mismatched chairs, a yellow couch that had been there since the dawn of time and a coffee table with mug rings staining the surface. A fridge hummed loudly in the corner with flyers and reminders of school events taped to the door. There was a counter with a sink and a microwave. A few Formica cabinets hung on the wall above it. The lighting in the room was always too bright and harsh, and there was a constant smell of damp dish rags clinging to the air.

Ben loathed the teachers’ lounge. The only thing he liked even less than the dilapidated room was his fellow educators taking up all the space. He huffed as he noticed there was a line for the microwave. Finn Storm the sociology teacher was making goo-goo eyes at Rose Tico one of the English teachers. Instead of heating up their food in a timely manner, they were talking and giggling.

He just wanted to heat the food he brought from home and eat alone, in silence, in his empty classroom. Growling, Ben turned to sit on the couch until the microwave was free - not wanting to stand behind the couple - but stopped short.

Poe Dameron, the physical education teacher, and football, and soccer and swim coach, was man-spread in the middle of the couch beside Hux, the political science teacher. Hux had a sour expression on his face as he tried inching further and further away from Dameron without actually having to lean on the sofa’s stained arm rest. Dameron was talking at Hux, his whistle dangling from his neck. Dameron never held a conversation; he talked AT you, about sports teams and statistics. The vein on Hux’s temple throbbed. Ben was sure Hux was imagining different ways of murdering him without being caught.

Mr. Yoda, the ancient biology teacher, was on Dameron’s other side, slumped over and snoring as his glasses slid down his nose. His bald head made his oddly large pointed ears more noticeable. 

Taking a deep breath in and out, Ben felt the beginnings of a migraine forming.

He turned to one of the small round tables and immediately knew he would not be sitting there. Phasma the calculus teacher and Zorii the history teacher, sat across from one another, dourly picking at their salads with plastic forks, making stilted conversation. They were both impeccably dressed, and sitting with straight backs and legs crossed. 

Even if he didn’t have a rather uncomfortable past with Zorii, Phasma was one of the few people that intimidated him. Her height was only part of it. Her face was so emotionless it was like she had a mask on at all times. 

Ben turned to the other round table and debated which would be worse: Standing behind Finn and Rose while they flirted, or sitting with Mr. Binks the Spanish teacher, Snap the Shop teacher and Kaydel the Art teacher. Ben didn’t mind Snap and Kaydel so much as the eternally irritating Mr. Binks. Snap and Kaydel got married a few years back so they were no longer in that sickeningly sweet newly wed state. 

Ben was about ready to suck it up, take his food back to his classroom and eat it cold, when Amilyn Holdo entered. The newest principle was unconventional to say the least. She pushed back her long lavender hair behind one of her shoulders. Her pastel colored dress flowed airy around her.

She clapped her hands and yelled, “Attention everyone!”

All eyes turned to her, even Mr. Yoda startled awake from his nap to give her a blurry eyed stare. 

"I have been making sure to go to every staff lunch period to remind everyone of the email that was sent. We will be getting a new student teacher before the day is out. She is studying to be a science teacher so the science staff will be taking her under their wing."

Amilyn took a moment to smile at Ben and Mr. Yoda. The science department was small. It was Ben who taught physical sciences, the freshman. Mr. Yoda who taught biology, which was the sophomores. Mr. Windu who taught junior chemistry and senior year was elective sciences, like astronomy and environmental science, taught by Ms. Pava. 

Ben didn't like the idea of some college kid chasing his heals all day long, and hoped whoever it was, preferred one of the other Science teachers to learn from. Jess was young, pretty and amicable. He hoped they would prefer her.

"Ms. Tano is very excited to come here, and I want all of you to give her a very warm welcome." Ben saw the way Amilyn's bright blue eyes flicked over to him, as if this was a command specifically for him.

Ben huffed. Everything would be fine so long as they stayed out of his way and didn't annoy him.

"Ms. Tano huh?" Poe asked with a crooked grin while elbowing Hux in the ribs. "I wonder if she is cute."

Hux looked like he was about to hiss at him like an angry cat. Zorii's jaw tightened, but she pretended to not be listening.

A dull throbbing slowly began to intensify at the back of his skull. This was not worth it. He would eat his veggie lasagna cold. Retreating back to the sanctuary, that was his empty classroom, Ben was abruptly stopped by someone standing in his way.

"Ben?" Amilyn said her head tilting. "You are leaving so soon?"

"It's a little too crowded in there." He frowned.

"Well it is a good thing I caught you, then." Amilyn looped her arm into Ben's in a maternal way that he was used to. Outside of work she was called Aunt Amy. "I know that it is your free period now, but you have a class coming up after this correct?"

Ben didn't like where she was going with this. "Yes," he said apprehensively.

"Great! Since you teach freshman, I thought the new student teacher would be better off observing your classes first, then move up to the higher grades. Expect her to be at your classroom in a few minutes so you can get her settled before your class starts."

Ben opened his mouth to argue but Amilyn smiled and said with a hard tone that left no room for a reply, "I really appreciate your cooperation and your willingness to help, Benjamin!" She pat his arm before swishing away.

Standing in the middle of the empty hall, his jaw hanging open, he stared after her. Heat rose up his neck. His nostrils flared.

Ben stomped over to his classroom and plopped down in the chair behind his desk. He opened the glass container with his lunch and violently stabbed his lasagna with his fork before shoveling it into his mouth. It was unpleasantly chilly, but he refused to go back into the teacher's lounge. Trying to go to the cafeteria would take too much time.

This student teacher could be there any moment. The one time of day were he had peace and quiet and now he would have to cut it short because any minute there would be some - 

"Hello, Mr. Solo!" A bright voice cut through his mental tirade. 

The voice was so familiar, and it was such a shock to his system that he choked on his enormous bite of food. He coughed standing and his head whipped over to his side. 

His brain worked overtime to process the sight before him.

Hazel eyes widened in concern. The woman in front of him rushed forward and thumped a hand on his back. 

"I am so so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you," her lilting accent said. 

Ben thought he was looking at a ghost, a memory, but the beautiful woman looked exactly and - at the same time - nothing like herself. The hazel eyes, glowing skin and chestnut hair tied back in three buns was the same. But her features were more defined than before. She was taller and her fitted black pencil skirt and green blouse, hugged subtle curves she had not possessed as a gangly teen.

He was frozen, staring like a moron. He didn't blink, because he thought if he did then the vision before him would disappear. With numb lips he stuttered, "Ms... Ms. Andor?"

She let out a long breath of relief, and her stunning smile stretched across her face. "I'm a bit relieved you remember me," she said in surprise. "Yes, it's me." Her body relaxed as she took a step back from him. "But I am Ms. Tano now."

"Ms. Tano?" So she had gotten married? It shouldn't have sent his nervous system in to such upheaval. Of course, Rey had grown up. Of course she had lived her life and met someone and got married. She was a brilliant and charming young lady who had turned into a breath taking woman. But whenever he remembered her or thought about her, he had always just imagined her as timeless, as still that freshman he had during his first year teaching. And from time to time he did wonder what happened to her, where she went. Did him calling protection services help or harm her? Ben wondered if she knew or suspected he was the one who had gotten her taken away. Did she go someplace better? Some place just as bad? Had she gotten that scholarship she wanted and become a scientist? Something clicked into place. "Ms. Tano? So it's you who-?"

Ms. Andor... or rather Ms. Tano, nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. I am the new student teacher here. I was rather surprised when they told me where I would be assigned. I live much further away from here, but this was the closest high school willing to take on a new student teacher. I got a bit of a late start, and unless I wanted to wait until next year for a closer school, this was my only option."

Her smile started to fade the longer Ben stood there and watched her. It was like his body stopped working, like he wasn't functioning properly. He had to say something, anything. Ben didn't know how to say something dashing or interesting, so he went for honesty. "Well, then I guess it was a fortunate turn of events for me that I got to see you again."

Rey's face began to redden. She rubbed the back of her neck and cleared her throat. "Um, I ... it has been nice to see you again too, Mr. Solo."

"Ben," he found himself saying. "I'm not your teacher anymore, not that I was for very long back then."

Rey shrugged, "No, I guess you weren't. You still made an impact." She clasped her hands in front of her and he noticed the watch on her wrist. The small round face of it was on the inside of her wrist instead of the traditional way of keeping it on the outside. The same way he wore his watch.

"Well, Ms. Tano-"

"Rey," she corrected. "If I am going to call you, Ben, then I would feel strange if you didn't call me Rey."

"Okay, Rey." They stood, facing one another, in a nervous silence.

"Alright, Ben."

They both rocked on their heals and stared at one another. His chest felt tight and fluttery. He might be coming down with something. The season had been cold and rainy after all.

"So before class starts is there anything you need help setting up with? Or anything I should know?" Rey asked. "What lesson are we going over?"

Ben chuckled to himself, "Believe it or not, but today we start the section on magnetism." He wasn't sure if she would remember, but it was the very same lesson he had ready to go for the day that she didn't show up, ten years ago.

"Perfect," Rey giggled.

_Yes, she is,_ he caught himself thinking. He shook his head expelling such thoughts from his mind. 

"I will just be sitting in the back observing today. You won't mind if I take notes?" She bent down to pick up a large tote bag that she had leaned against the wall. 

Ben nearly choked all over again seeing her shapely legs and backside in the skirt. He dutifully raised his eyes to the ceiling. She was his former student, current mentee, and another man (or woman's ?) wife. And his mother would kill him if she ever thought he was objectifying a woman. 

"I can just take a seat in the back," Rey said, pulling a notebook and pens from her bag. 

"If you like," Ben said trying to keep his eyes on anything but her. "I should introduce you to the class however, before then."

Red nodded in agreement. 

The bell rang, indicating the end of the current period. 

Ben quickly removed his lunch to a small cooler under his desk, hating to use the communal fridge in the teachers' lounge. He checked the time on his watch before organizing the notebook and pages for his lesson plan. 

"Everyone take your seats in a timely manner," Ben instructed. 

Rey chortled as she leaned over to Ben. "Nice to know after all these years you haven't changed much." 

Ben fought the smile threatening to spread across his face. 

Once the bell rang, Ben closed the door. "If you haven't noticed. We have a guest today. Ben addressed the class. This is Ms. And - my apologies - Ms. Tano. She is the new student teacher at our school."

"Hello!" Rey chirped. "I'm thrilled to be here and am really looking forward to being apart of this class and learning from Mr. Solo and you all." 

"She will be observing for the next few days and then joining me to help run the classes and eventually teach a few of her own. I expect you to give her all the respect you would any other teacher at this establishment." Ben turned to Rey and felt like he could breath easier than he had in a long time. 

She moved toward the back and took the furthest seat, crossing her ankles in one of the students' desks. She beamed up at him. It felt like he was back to that first year of teaching when Rey sat out in his classroom with curiosity and anticipation. 

He began the lesson and he couldn't help his eyes wandering back over to Rey again and again, her eager expression brightening the further into the lesson they went. 

It wasn't until the very end of the class, a few minutes until the bell rang, Ben realized something. The bolder he always felt resting on his rib cage day and night, wasn't there anymore. 


	5. Chapter 5

The end of the day came much too fast in Ben's opinion. This was the first time in a long while he hadn't felt like the day dragged. He had thought his students would try acting up or showing off because there was a new face. Surprisingly, they had not. If anything, they were even more involved than usual. Even his worst student, Adam Sackler, had been tolerable.

Ben gathered his things as Rey stood at the end of his desk her hips pressed against the edge, her palms flat on his desk as she leaned forward. He was defiantly NOT noticing how the position might be construed as suggestive. All the students and faculty vacated the premises as soon as possible. Ben liked to wait so he didn't get caught up in all the traffic with the buses and parents picking up their children.

"Great, job today, Ben," Rey complimented. And he tried not to feel 30 feet tall at her minuscule praise. "I was looking at your lesson plan and noticed that you spend a bit more time on Telsa then any other subject." Rey gave a small smirk.

Ben cleared his throat before speaking, to give him enough time to think about how he was going to answer. "Well it is an interesting subject and one that deserves a bit more attention."

Rey snorted, "I couldn't agree more." Rey scooped up her bag turning toward the door, but Ben wasn't ready to let her leave yet.

He blurted, "I thought you were going to become a scientist? What made you change your mind to education?"

Rey looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, "I suppose I had a lot of good influences to steer me in a different direction."

Ben followed after her, holding his uneaten lunch, and briefcase in his hands. As he walked beside her he noticed that she was humming some tune contently under her breath. He really wanted to talk to her more, to get to know the woman she had grown up to be.

"That Monday morning after your detention," Ben started. "You didn't show up to school and no one told me what happened. I only got a notice saying that you would no longer be in my class. What happened?"

Rey frowned. "It is a long story, actually. I don't think I have time today to get into it. How about we have lunch together tomorrow? I can catch you up." She offered, and she sounded... hopeful in a way.

"Yes, I can do that. Will you be all mine tomorrow?" Ben asked and immediately regretted how he said the sentence. Her eyes went wide and her steps slowed. "I mean, you are not sitting in on any of the other classes tomorrow, correct?" He wanted to melt into the floor. "We are having lab tomorrow."

"No other classes, but we really won't have much time to talk between periods," Rey's eyebrows raised as if a thought had just occurred to her. "Unless you would rather have lunch alone. I didn't mean to impose."

Ben held up a hand and waved it in order to stop her talking. "No, no not at all. I can't think of a better way to spend my lunch period." _Since when?_ A tiny voice asked in the back of his head. 

They walked out of the building and Ben followed her all the way out to her car. It was an old red Volvo sedan, with the paint warn out in a few places so you could see the plain metal underneath. As he watched her slip into the driver's seat, he wondered how safe the vehicle was. Didn't she say she lived a far way off? She waved from her window as she pulled away. And just like when she was his student, he watched her until she was out of sight, making sure that she was getting home okay.

***

Ben could not sleep, and the next morning, instead of feeling tired, he felt a jolt of electricity coursing through him. He did his routine morning run in half the time it normally took. He changed his outfit at least three times, before finally deciding on black slacks with a red shirt and a black tie. He packed his lunch and for some reason he felt the need to also include a tapioca cup. Ben wasn't a huge fan of it and unfortunately they usually went to waste whenever he bought a pack, but for some nagging reason he felt the compulsion to buy it. 

Ben always made it to school early. This morning however, he was there before the custodians unlocked the school. He went to the science lab buzzing. Tuesdays were his days to have his students do lab. Ben had just the right experiment planned. One on magnetic fields. He set up everything just before homeroom began. 

The soft tap of shoes against the floor tiles alerted Ben that he wouldn't be alone for very much longer. He didn't know if he should be waiting for her to enter or pretending to be busy. He panicked and just picked up one of the science text books and pretended to be reading. 

"Hello, Mr. Solo," Rey called. She slapped a hand over her forehead, scrunching her face. "I'm sorry. It's a habit." 

To be honest, her usual greeting was a bit comforting, and Ben found himself smiling. 

Rey cocked her head and huffed a laugh. "Well, I guess great minds think alike." Rey pointed to Ben's outfit and then her own. She had a fitted black button up shirt, tucked into a red pencil skirt. They even had the same shade of deep red. 

Ben thought it was funny until he realized, "You know my classes are going to hassle us about this, right?" He leaned against the desk, letting his thigh rest on the side, crossing his arms.

"I can handle it." Rey winked. 

His chest clenched. Had her lips always been so pink and pouty? Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, putting her long slender neck on full display. Ben swallowed the lump forming in his throat. What was wrong with him? She bent over again to get her notebooks, and damn those pencil skirts to hell. Was the room too hot? He loosened his tie. Ben had to run through again how she was 10 years younger than himself, a former student, and married. 

The bell rang and his students trickled in. 

"Mr. Solo? Who's the girl?" A boy in his class asked. 

Ben straightened up taller, "She is our new student teacher, I will introduce her once everyone is settled."

"Is she like your girlfriend?" Another girl asked while she took her spot at one of the lab desks. 

Ben didn't notice just how close they were standing beside one another, their arms almost touching. He couldn't jump away it would have been more suspicious. 

Her partner chimed in, teasing, "Did you guys plan to wear the same colors?" 

Rey and Ben exchanged a look. Rey bit her lip to stop a smile. His heart fluttered. 

"Alright enough, everyone take a seat so we can get started!" Ben barked.

***

Instead of going to the dreaded teacher's lounge, they went to Ben's classroom for lunch. 

He insisted on Rey taking his nice ergonomic rolling chair while he pulled up one of the metal student chairs to sit in. 

They took out their lunches. Ben, not wanting to have to go anywhere near the teacher’s lounge, just brought a salad with grilled chicken. Thank heavens Rey had brought a sandwich and chips so she wouldn’t have to go to the teacher’s lounge either.

Sitting beside Rey in companionable silence, was comforting. Around most people, Ben felt anxious and irritated, but this felt natural. Her presence like a balm to his soul. They sat so close to one another, he felt the warmth of her arm almost brush against his own. Her eyes sparked with mirth.

When she moved he got a waft of her perfume, or maybe it was her shampoo. It smelled like apples. 

Ben hoped that she liked being around him as much as he liked being around her. 

“I believe you were going to tell me how you ended up in education?” Ben said being too curious to hear the story.

Rey took a big bite of her sandwich before answering. “Well, as you know I grew up in foster care. I was trying to get a good scholarship and I did. I was majoring in physics at Penn State and was enjoying it so much. Then one day in the middle of class, out of nowhere, I was watching my professor and realized, that I could do what they were doing, shaping young minds. I myself needed guidance as a child and I could have an influence on other kids that were in the system, if I worked in a middle school or high school. I think I mentioned to you back when you were my teacher that very few foster kids even graduate high school. Very suddenly it felt like I had a mission, like I was being pulled in another direction. So, I had my mind set and I switched majors. Which is why I got a bit of a late start in all this.” She gestured vaguely at her surroundings.

“Wow, that certainly is a change.” Ben said leaning back in his chair. “But very admirable. I think it is fantastic that you want to help.”

“And it isn’t like I am not doing science at all. I get to enlighten others on how interesting the world around them can be,” Rey brightly said. "Just - Just like you did when I was in school." She took another bite from her sandwich and stared at the ground as if she had said too much. 

Ben’s heart swelled as he watched her chomp down on her food in what he could only describe as the worst table manners ever. She had thought about him these past years. Had he been an influence for her to become a teacher? 

“You know I actually brought more food than I can eat,” Ben said. “I have a tapioca cup if you want it.” He looked down at the desk waiting for her reply.

He heard her laugh, such a beautiful sound. “Just know that if you give it to me and try to take it back, I might have to fight you.”

Ben chuckled. “Duly noted.” He pushed over the little plastic container and spoon from home. "Don't worry, I won't touch it. I am fairly certain you could beat me in a fight."

Rey snorted. "I'm small but I'm scrappy." 

Ben was getting lost in her bright smile and crinkling eyes. In that moment Ben knew Rey was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He knew even if she wasn't married there was no chance someone as radiant as her would ever give him the time of day. “So in all that time and excitement, when did you get married?”

Rey stopped the spoon half way to her open mouth and stared at him. “Married?”

“Yes, Ms. Tano. Did you meet him in college, or her?” Ben asked shifting in his chair a bit. He had to ask even though a part of him squirmed at the fact that she was with someone else, loved someone else, came home to someone else. He wondered how lucky this other person was that they had this, beautiful, smart, and compassionate woman. It nauseated him that someone got to wake up every morning to her. 

Rey laughed again. Ben didn’t think that anyone laughed around him so much. It was almost like she enjoyed being around him.

“I’m not married,” Rey answered.

“You’re – not? But your last name?” Ben was stunned and at the same time delightfully relieved.

“The reason you didn’t see me that Monday, was because protection services had come the previous Sunday. They saw my terrible living environment. Plutt was drunk and angry when they showed up. They took me away immediately. I was placed with a new foster parent. Her name was Ahsoka Tano. She was the most incredible woman, and she adopted me.” Her voice got soft and her eyes misty.

“Was?” Ben asked, his heart aching. She talked about this woman in the past tense. 

Rey looked up to the ceiling blinking her eyes rapidly as they got glassy. Her voice sounded tight as she answered, “She died, about a year ago. It was very sudden. Cancer. One month she found out and the next she was gone.”

Rey swallowed, and on instinct Ben slid his hand across the desk to hold hers. She snapped her head down to look at him, surprised, but she held onto his hand too. It was so tiny and delicate in his baseball mitt hands. 

“Ahsoka, made me promise that her death wouldn’t mean that my life stopped. She made me promise to finish school and to not be bitter. I have to admit, it has been hard. Just when I thought I had found a family, a place where I belonged.” Rey pressed her lips, and Ben could see that she was choked up.

He wanted to lean over and hold her, let her cry into his shoulder. He knew where she had been with Unkar, and how much it must have meant to her to have a place where she had been cared for and accepted.

“If I am being honest with you, Ben. I try to do what she asked, but some days, I just feel so alone.”

A tear rolled down her cheek and it broke his heart. He knew how she felt. He didn’t relate to any of his co-workers. He had a hard time connecting with anyone so it was easier to push them away. Even his biological family felt alien to him.

He knew it wasn't professional, but he couldn't stop himself from cupping her chin with his other hand and using his thumb to wipe away her tears. Her cheek was warm satin under his hand. 

“You’re not alone,” Ben found himself saying.

Rey squeezed his hand. “Neither are you.”


	6. Chapter 6

Something had changed between Rey and Ben. He could feel it in the air between them. After their lunch together a few days ago he would find her staring at him. Or she would catch him staring at her. Either way, it was a lot of staring and eye contact and Ben was fairly sure it was much more than what they were using before. They had not had lunch alone together since Monday afternoon. Ms. Holdo thought it was important that Rey mix with the other teachers, thrusting her into the dreaded teacher's lounge during her free period.

It went as well as Ben expected. Poe had hit on her, Phasma and Zorii gave her death glares when she held out her hand to introduce herself, and when she had tried to do the same for Hux, his icy scowl was enough to stop her before even getting close to him. She had hit it off with Finn and Rose however. Ben was foolishly jealous, secretly hoping that Rey would only get along with him. He knew that was a pipe dream, however. Rey was personable, charming, and the type others wanted to get to know. She hadn't been popular when attending school, but had really grown into herself, with an easy confidence.

By Friday, Ben was crawling out of his skin, hyper aware of her presence every second of the day at school. When he was home all he did was think about her, anxious to see her the next day. He was starting to worry about his sanity. There would be two whole days he wouldn't see her. The prospect of waiting until Monday to see her was depressing. She had shined a light into his bleak everyday routine. The world looked like someone had turned up the color. His heart rate picked up when she smiled at him or laughed at something he said.

Ben had been preparing himself all day to ask for her number. He rehearsed in his head all day exactly what to say. He was so nervous, Rey asked him a few times if he was alright. 

By the end of the day, Ben knew it was time. He walked Rey to her car as he often did. His steps were slow as he strolled beside her, trying to prolong the moment. 

He cleared his throat and asked, "So do you have plans this weekend?" 

"No." Rey gave him a shy smile. "I don't really have plans any weekend." 

"Oh, well, I never have plans either." Ben was nervous. He felt his palms getting sweaty. He should just spit it out. Exchange numbers, see if she wanted to get together for dinner over the weekend. But he was terrified she would reject him, then they would still have to work at the same school together for the rest of the year. They were getting so close to her car. There was only so slow he could walk. He cursed his long legs. He took a breath, gathering his courage to ask. 

"You know, I was thinking," Rey said a bit too loud as she stared down at her shoes. "If you didn't have plans, maybe we could exchange numbers and, maybe do something."

Ben was so shocked that Rey suggested seeing each other over the weekend, his voice caught in his throat. He just stood there and gaped at her. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip and her cheeks began to redden. And his heart clenched because she was breath taking. 

"But if - if you didn't want to-," Rey stuttered. 

"No!" Ben shouted throwing out his hands, causing her to jump. "I mean, yes! I mean. I would love to get together this weekend, with you. Yes, let's do something, together." 

"Oh, great then," Rey beamed at him looking relieved. "Does Saturday evening work?"

Any night worked, hell every night worked if she wanted. But instead Ben said "Yes."

"Just tell me your number and I will text you." She pulled out a beat up phone with a badly cracked screen cover. 

Ben recited his number and her slender, nimble fingers typed it in. 

Immediately she sent him a message. 

Ben checked his screen, and he couldn't stop the dopey grin on his face for all the money in the world. 

_Hey, Ben this is me, Rey. Save my number._ 😉

She sent a wink face. HIM, grumpy Ben Solo. Ben didn't hesitate to save her in his phone as "My Rey of sunshine". She would never see it. 

"Okay. Text you tonight to figure out details." Rey bounced on the balls of her feet.

He watched her drive away as he usually did, his heart giving a little flip. 

***

Ben had scowered his whole apartment trying to distract himself from checking his phone every few minutes. At one point he just glared at the screen willing it to ping with a message from Rey. He had decided to put it down and ignore it. He was hanging half way out of his oven, scrubbing the inside, complete with yellow rubber gloves, when his cell chimed. He nearly broke his neck stumbling about his apartment to get to his phone. 

Rey:

_So I think I already mentioned that I live a little further out. Did you want to meet some place in between?_

Ben grimaced at the message. No way was that happening. He had fantasies all afternoon of him being able to pick her up at her place, open the car door for her, have polite, yet nervous conversation in the car, and wherever they went, he still knew he would be able to drop her off at the end of the night. 

Beside, he wasn't convinced of the safety of her car to drive more miles than absolutely necessary. 

Ben:

_I was thinking that I could come to you and pick you up._

Right after Ben hit send a horrible realization came over him. What if this wasn't a date? What if she was just being nice and just wanted to be friends? Ben felt the beginnings of panic. He typed furiously. 

Ben:

_But if you wanted to drive yourself that's okay too._

That's it, he told himself, keep it light. He had to stay cool and not freak out. He shouldn't be freaking out. Why was he freaking out? It wasn't like this was his first date or anything. There was that very brief affair with Zorii after she was on the rebound from Poe. They had agreed that they were both too emotionally unavailable to continue. He had never felt this pleasurable panic that he felt right now. Pacing, he bore a hole in his phone with his eyes.

Rey:

_Are you sure that's okay? I don't want to put you out or anything._

Ben was quick to type back. 

Ben: 

_It isn't a problem at all._

His phone pinged a few times in a row.

Rey:

_Okay. Sounds great._

_Maybe I could suggest a place to go, since I know the area?_

_Or would you just like to stay in? I know you aren't big on crowds, neither am I._

Ben's mind short circuited. Stay in? Like at her place? His mind immediately went to candle light on a small table, a meal she had cooked just for him. She wears one of those too tight skirts. She smiles at him. Their hands reaching across to one another, all alone in the quiet secluded space. The flames beside them flicker. 

He must have taken too long to answer because she texted back.

Rey:

_We could just talk, order some pizza, nothing fussy, I had been meaning to watch the new Cosmos and thought you would like to watch it with me being a fellow science geek._

Oh. Ben deflated like a punctured pool float. Maybe she just wanted to hang out then? His idea of the night morphed into Rey in slouchy sweat pants and a stained t-shirt... That shouldn't have still been appealing to him, yet it was. Even if this wouldn't be a date, spending more time with her sounded like paradise, having her full attention. Ben had been meaning to watch the newest episodes of Cosmos too.

Ben:

_That actually sounds pretty great. So long as I can pay for the pizza._

Rey:

_Are you sure about that? I can eat A LOT of pizza._

Ben snorted and grinned ear to ear while he typed. 

Ben:

 _I'm sure_. 

Rey:

_Great. It is settled then. I will give you the address of my condo and lets plan for tomorrow at 6?_

Ben fist pumped the air. He knew he looked ridiculous, but there was no one to see him.

Ben:

_Sounds good, looking forward to it._

Rey:

_Me too._

_***_

By afternoon the next day Ben had worked himself up to a bundle of nerves. He had no idea if this was a date or they were just hanging out. He debated his wardrobe choice, wondering what was too casual or too dressed up. He wanted to make a good impression but didn’t want to show up over dressed.

He also wondered if he should bring her flowers. If this had been a normal date - where he picked her up and they went out - he would get her a bouquet of some kind, but that was a romantic gesture and what if it made her uncomfortable?

He would be going to her place for the first time, and Ben’s mother had always drilled in that it was customary to bring a housewarming gift. This train of thought caused Ben to ponder if he should bring a house plant. If it was a date though, bringing a house plant was a mood killer.

Ben spent an agonizingly long time at Lowes earlier that day trying to decide what plant said, “I like you”. Most of the potted plants were mostly green, looking like something you would put on an office desk as supposed to giving it as a gift to a girl you might be dating. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he decided right away that getting her an orchid was just embarrassingly sexually suggestive.

More than a few times a salesperson had come over and asked him if he needed help. They scurried away the moment they saw his intensity. He probably looked like some crazy plant loon. The money tree was cute but didn’t scream any kind of sentiment. After long, Ben decided on the African Violet. They were pretty and easy to take care of.

It wasn’t until Ben got home - plant in hand with a decorative pot - he realized that Rey was 10 years younger than him. She might find him archaic for the gesture.

Ben immediately googled “how to date someone ten years younger than yourself”. It rendered some interesting results.

What struck Ben most was some term called “Netlix and Chill”. He was stunned. Is this what Rey was planning when she invited him over? Were they not going to be watching “Cosmos” at all? Most importantly did Netflix have to be playing to be considered “Netflix and Chill”? Because “Cosmos” was not on Netflix. Ben checked.

A very cold shower had been in order, as well as a round of pushups, which caused him to get sweaty and he needed another shower.

***

Ben pulled into a parking lot in a complex with townhomes that all looked the same. Except for the front doors, they were exact clones and he worried about finding his way out. He found building D well enough.

He stood outside her door running a hand through his hair and willing himself not to be twitchy. He rang the doorbell and then it swung open, with enthusiasm.

Ben’s knees became weak as she smiled so wide, she had dimples. “Ben,” she said like she was surprised to see him. “I’m glad you found it okay, please come in.” She waved him in.

Snapping out of his stupor, Ben stepped inside to tan carpeting. Rey was wearing black leggings and an oversized sweater. Her hair had been put up in a bun. She looked casual but nice, and she had done something to her eyes that made them stand out, brighter than usual. Ben was tongue tied, only focused on her.

He had decided on a black long sleeve t-shirt and dark blue jeans. It was nice but not TOO nice. 

“Is that for me?” Rey asked pointing to the potted plant, her face lighting up.

“Oh yes!” Ben looked down at his hands, forgetting the violets were there.

“It’s so cute!” Rey tittered as her nose scrunched.

The African Violet was a good choice. Ben puffed up with pride.

“Please take a seat while I find a home for this little guy,” Rey said, gesturing toward the couches.

He looked around as Rey went to put the violet down. It was one level. He had walked into the living room with a large picture window where plants of every kind thrived on the sill. The couch had a matching love seat upholstered like an old Bill Cosby sweater. A glass coffee table stood between the couch and tv. There was a small kitchen to his right with a round table just fitting in the confined space. The walls were painted a cheery cream color. Little knick knacks and books cluttered the shelves. It was warm and welcoming. Past the living room he saw a hall that ran left to right. The bedroom and bathroom were most likely over there.

“You have a nice place,” Ben said, perching himself on the very end of the couch facing a small flat screen.

“Oh thanks,” Rey smiled and some of the spark had been taken away from her eyes. She sat on the other end of the couch, leaning on the armrest. “I lived here with Ahsoka. When she passed, I inherited it. I love it because it was my first real home, but her presence is missed.”

Ben’s heart sank at her words. She must be very lonely here, having so many memories, reminders of the loss every day. “Well, at least you still have all those good memories of her, and you can fill this place with new happy ones too.”

Rey turned to Ben giving him a fond expression, “I hope so.”

Ben felt his cheeks heat as he squirmed in his seat.

“I didn’t order food yet. I thought I would ask you what you like on your pizza before I called it in.” Rey pushed herself up from the couch. She grabbed a menu off her kitchen table, handing it to him.

This was defiantly not a date, Ben decided. It was all too casual. Nothing romantic at all, it all screamed friend zone. And Ben was okay with that…. Mostly okay with that. He felt nice being there with her.

“I bought a bottle of my favorite wine. I was going to have a glass. I was hoping you would join me, but if you would rather have beer?” Rey asked unsure as she pulled a bottle from the fridge. "I also have water or tea?"

Ben chuckled watching her shuffle through her kitchen looking for the cork screw. “Wine and Pizza?”

She pointed the end of the corks screw at him, pretending to be offended. “Don’t you laugh! Italian food and red wine go really well together. I stand by my decision.”

Ben snickered through his nose, “Yes, please. I would love a glass.”

Rey poured two evenly full glasses and handed him one. “So you know what you would like? I will call it in now.”

“Shouldn’t we not be drinking on an empty stomach? If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to get me drunk.” Ben cocked an eyebrow. He could have sworn he saw her hide a smile and a blush behind her glass, before she took a sip. Maybe this was a date. This was so confusing. He wished he could just ask outright, but Ben knew that he could be too intense. Too straight forward and didn’t want to push her away. “The margarita pizza is usually what I get.” He handed her back the paper menu.

“They have a really good one here. Usually I like to get an everything, but I might skip the onions this time around.” Rey gave him a coy smile.

Ben’s heart thud. Ok this may very well be a date.

“I can’t imagine us having an intelligent conversation and all you can think about his how my breath is reducing you to tears,” Rey explained.

Not a date.

Rey tapped in the phone number while Ben held out his credit card for her. “Thanks for dinner, Ben. Such a gentleman!”

“Well it also helps that you are a cheap date,” Ben joked thoughtlessly, then turned white as a sheet. “Not that this is a date. Or not that I would assume it’s a date, I just mean-“ Ben floundered. Rey’s face flashed so many different emotions he wasn’t sure what she was thinking. He started to sweat with nerves. “Not that I wouldn’t like it to be a date, that is.” He was digging himself deeper. “I just like spending time with you,” he blurt much too loudly.

Rey turned sentimental. “I like spending time with you too, Ben.” Her voice was soft as a caress.

Before either one of them could be more embarrassed, she held the phone to her cheek, “Hello, calling in an order for delivery…”

Ben cradled the glass in his massive hands, probably turning the wine warm. He took a swig, needing to calm his nerves. It was a good wine, subtle but pleasant. He would have to ask her what it was.

His eyes roamed around a little while she was still on the phone. He started to read the bindings of the books sitting on her shelves. His eyes paused on a paperback, tattered, needing to be put out of it’s misery. His heart caught in his throat. He stood and walked over to take a better look. His index finger brushed the spine where it said “The Physics of the Impossible”.

His mouth felt like it was filled with glue trying to swallow. She had kept it. After all these years she still had the book he had leant her. Ben had never gotten a new copy, refusing to explore his reasoning for not replacing it.

“They said a half hour to 45 minutes. They sounded busy.” Rey said from across the room. She tread lightly making very little noise. “Oh.” Was all she said once she stood at his side, seeing what he found so fascinating.

Ben’s eyes bore into her. He didn’t think she would have kept it. Teenagers have a short attention span, and it had been so many years, he figured she had lost it or left it back at her foster father’s all those years ago.

“I can’t tell you how many times I reread it. I lost count. There was no new information, it wasn’t like a story you can go back to time and time again with characters who seem to be familiar, but I found it comforting.” Rey shrugged, her eyes wistful. “I loved living here with Ahsoka, but I still never fit in at school, never made any friends. I loved science, but even the teachers seemed to not be enthusiastic about what they were teaching, nothing like-” Rey stopped herself.

Ben had to take a deep gulp of his wine before speaking. Stealing himself, he gathered his bravery. “It was me. I called protection serves right after your detention. I have felt guilty about it for years.” He filleted himself before Rey, confessing his deception. He waited for her to be angry with him for upending her life so abruptly. Yes it had worked out for the better, but she must have been so confused and scared back then. She knew nothing but being transient and she had been pulled away again.

Rey released a cackle so abruptly Ben jumped. “You don’t need to confess to me, I knew it was you who called them.” Her hazel irises flashed.

Ben felt numb with shock. “How did you know it was me?”

Rey’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “The sad truth is, I knew that no one else cared enough about me to do it other than you.”

His stomach dropped all the way down to his ankles. He had felt guilty for years, like he had been keeping a shameful secret, and she knew the whole time. The fact that no one else even cared, disturbed him more than her knowing it was him. Had none of the other teachers noticed? No next door neighbors that heard domestic disturbances? Had no one really been kind to her back then?

“I have been terrified for years that once you knew, you would hate me,” Ben admitted. “It ate way at me. I had no idea where you went, if you had a good home, if I did the right thing.”

Rey became sympathetic. “You did the right thing, Ben. I knew it was you, and I never hated you for it.” She closed her eyes and kept them shut. “I have to confess something to you too, since you were honest.” She blew out a breath as if she was breathing out her nervousness. “I thought about you almost everyday after I moved. There were days when I thought about writing you or something, to thank you for calling them. I didn’t know your address. I didn’t know if you were still at the school. It wasn’t like I had a car or a license back then to visit. You made a real difference in my life.”

Ben felt like a fish out of water. His mouth opened and closed but no words would come out.

“And I have to confess something else,” Rey threaded her fingers together, dropping her chin to stare at the carpeting. “When it was time for me to do the student teaching program there were closer schools I could have picked. A lot of other schools, actually. I just- I wanted to come back. After Ahsoka died, I was so lonely. All I could do was remember you. Remember how kind you were to me, how easy it was to be around you even though we were worlds different. I had to see if you were still there. It might have been stupid, but I wanted to take a chance.” She stopped talking getting quiet.

He could see there was more she wanted to say, so he stood there patiently waiting for her to continue. Her words pinned him in place. Her cheeks began to pink.

“I wanted to know, if when I saw you again, I would feel the same way I did back then. If it was just a school girl crush or if there was something more too it. Because I had felt like things had made sense when I was around you. I knew there was no chance you saw me as anything as a nice kid in your class. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t expecting anything. Meeting you was like I had been missing something until-”

Ben didn’t let her finish. Without thinking, without worrying about every detail the way he usually did, he kissed her. It wasn’t overtly sexual but it wasn’t chaste either. At first she blinked rapidly at him, confused, before humming contently, melting into the kiss. His heart was ready to combust. It was like fireworks were going off in his brain.

When he pulled away, they both panted, catching their breathe.

“Rey,” Ben whispered their noses inches apart. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Rey answered, her hand coming up to cup his jaw.

“Is this a date?”

Rey flat out laughed. “If it wasn’t before, it sure as hell is now.” She pulled him forcefully down to her level, pressing her lips to his, causing that same light display in his head to fire back up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are so many errors in this! I apologize! I will edit as I see issues. I just really wanted to get this last chapter up and done. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! It has been a blast!

_A Few Months Later_

“Come on, Ben. It is not going to be that bad,” Rey coxed as she stood outside the teacher’s lounge, rolling her eyes. There was an amused tilt to her mouth as she stood with feet shoulder width apart, crossing her arms. Her lunch bag was clutched in her right hand. After 4 months of dating her beauty still captivated him. 

“I don’t know why you are insisting on going in there,” Ben whined, pleading with his pained expression. He didn't know why he was fighting it. He knew he would succumb to whatever desire Rey had. That included going into the fully packed teacher's lounge.

She knew he hated it, and since they started dating the space became even more unbearable. His fellow teachers had done nothing but pester him.

  
Poe would nudge Ben’s ribs with his elbow anytime Rey bent over in her skirts.

  
Rose started giggling around him. He wondered what Rey had said to her, since she had become fast friends with Finn and Rose outside of work. Conversely, Finn would stare at him with puzzlement, as though he couldn’t figure out what Rey saw in him.

Phasma made cutting comments any chance she got about their 10-year age difference while Zorii was mostly quiet when she wasn’t clenching her jaw. When she first found out though, Zorii sarcastically said to Rey, “Congratulations on entering into a relationship with a man who has the emotional range of a potato.” Without missing a beat, Rey replied, “Said the woman with all the warmth of a witch’s tit.” Zorii had a begrudging respect for Rey after that.

Amilyn would try very hard to hide a smile behind her hand. He knew the irony was funny. Amilyn had to tell him to be nice to Rey when she first started and now, they were on very friendly terms.

Hux would cover his eyes before walking into his classroom every time, as if he would accidentally walk in on them in a compromising position. The sad part was he wasn’t being facetious.

The only time he had been subjected to such relentless teasing was when he was in high school himself. But he was happy, so happy that she had chosen to be with him that most of the time he took the ribbing with good humor.

Rey sighed like she usually did when she found him exasperating but adorably so. “Let's go, Mr. Grumpy Pants." Rey pivoted on her heal and strode in confidently. 

Ben winched as he shuffled in behind her, his shoulders up around his ears in discomfort. 

There they were, the usual suspects, in their usual places, dissecting their food as if no one had packed anything they particularly enjoyed. 

"Hey, Ben hand over your chicken and pasta, I will heat it up for you." Rey outstretched her arm to reach for his glass container.

"I bet that isn't the only thing she heats up for him," Poe whispered behind his hand, way too loud, leaning into Hux. 

Hux buried his nose deeper into a book he was pretending to read, avoiding social interactions of any kind. His plan obviously wasn't working. He crossed his legs in his well-tailored black suit, angling away from the dark-haired man. 

Ben gave her the glass container, with a pointed look. The little vixen had the nerve to wink at him. 

Finn and Rose leaned against the counter holding coffee mugs standing shoulder to shoulder. They gave Rey welcoming smiles. 

"Let me see," Rey mused aloud, tapping her left index finger against her chin. "One and a half minutes should be fine, right Ben? Hot enough for you?" Rey bent over the microwave door, hovering her hand across the keypad. 

"Yeah, definitely hot enough," Poe snickered as he kept his eyes on her backside. He nudged Hux's shoulder with his own. 

Zorii and Phasma made disgusted noises in the back of their throats. 

Hux pinched his lips as he slammed the hardcover book shut, to glower venomously at Poe. His face was turning redder than his hair. He got up, his head whipping around to look for another spot. When the only seat available was next to Mr. Binks, he huffed in frustration, sitting back down in his regular seat. 

Poe smirked, "Missed me, Hugs?"

Hux looked like he was going to use his book as a weapon. 

Ben, honestly, was feeling just as irritated with Poe's comments.

The microwave pinged and Rey gave Ben his food back. Rey's eyes narrowed checking the room, and noticing how everyone was absorbed in their own affairs. Ben tried to hide how delighted he was that her little plan wasn't working. 

Her eye brows raised and her face lit up. She threw him a smug twist of her lips. "Is that coffee??" Rey asked pointing with her left hand at the mugs Finn and Rose were cradling. 

Rose and Finn both gave Rey a funny look, like she was out of her mind. 

"Ah, Yeah, Peanut," Finn answered. "The same awful coffee we always have here." Finn motioned toward the ancient coffee machine. 

"This coffee machine?" Rey gestured toward it as if she were a game show host assistant, showing off the brand-new car. 

Rose exchanged a confused glance with Finn. "Yeah, that one." 

Ben bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. He covered his eyes, trying to hide away from her epic fail. 

Two splotches of pink formed on Rey's cheeks with frustration. "And the mugs up here are for everyone?" Rey swung open the cabinet doors, but kept her hand clutched to it almost raising her hand above her head. 

Finn and Rose were now looking into their own mugs swirling the coffee around, and whispering sweet nothings to one another as their heads moved closer together. Rey was flabbergasted, her hazel irises flashing, her lips parting in shock.

Rolling his lips between his teeth, Ben tried to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, Buttercup. You should know that by now. How long have you been here?" Poe asked, using a pinky to dig into his ear. 

Rey's mouth was a straight line of indignation. Ben was hoping they could get away with the whole lunch period like his. 

"Gee, I don't know, Poe! Let's count the weeks, shall we? One," she said holding up a single digit, "two" she said stretching out a second. "Three-" Rey looked intently at all the faces around the room, fewer than half were looking in her direction and most of them were staring at her like she was a total headcase.

"This is painful to watch!" Hux burst, jumping to his feet, and slamming his book closed so loud the clapping sound resounded, echoing off the walls. Everyone jumped at the commotion. He was holding himself up tighter than a violin string. "The ring, you insufferable idiots," Hux spat to the room at large. He waved his arms in the direction of Rey. "She wants you all to notice that unnecessarily gaudy engagement ring!"

At that point there was a gasp and everyone's head snapped to Rey and then Ben. A piece of chicken actually fell out of Snap's slacked jaw. The people froze, as if in a trance.

Hux continued his tirade. "You all have your heads so far up your own asses! I didn't want to involve myself assuming someone else would notice, but none of you dimwits did. I am trying to read in the few minutes I have for my break, and I don't need her blathering on forever, waiting for you all to take a hint! And Poe, everything out of your mouth is horribly offensive and filthy!" He stomped to the door.

In that moment Ben had never respected Hux more.

With complete ease Poe said, "Your mom didn't seem to mind my dirty mouth last night, when she was begging for it, Hugs." He folded his hands behind his head.

He snarled before slamming the door behind him.

A squeal from Rose pierced the air. Mr. Yoda was awakened from his daily nap, his head whipping around as if he didn't know where he was. "I can't believe this!! Are you two serious!?" Rose grabbed Rey's hand to get a better look at his grandmother's engagement ring. It was platinum with a diamond solitaire. On each side of the stone the crest of Alderaan was engraved into the metal with a tiny bright blue sapphire in the middle of each crest.

"Well," Finn said with an obvious forced smile at Ben. "Congratulations. I won't make a big deal out of it because I know you don't like the attention. You just treat her right." Finn sounded very protective.

"I will continue to do so," Ben answered, too happy with Rey's beaming expression to feel a bit odd about the exchange.

"Damn, I guess you are off the market now, huh?" Poe asked Rey with a pout.

"I have been off the market since the day I came here as a student teacher," Rey admitted, staring at Ben with stars in her eyes. 

"Aw, how cute!" Kaydel said as she pressed the side of her face against clasped hands. Ben thought he saw Snap wipe a tear away.

It all made Ben's heart clench in his chest, and his face feel hot.

"Well, there is always the bachelorette party," Poe waggled his eyebrows. He spread out, taking both his spot and Hux's empty one on the couch. "Need a male stripper?"

A spike of rage made Ben twist his face up at Poe. If looks could kill, he would be 6 feet under.

"How did he propose? When did he propose? Over the weekend? Were you wearing the ring all morning?" Rose bounced on the balls of her feet, "I need details!"

Ben knew he was going to ask Rey to marry him some day and had the ring just in case. He surprised the both of them when he popped the question right in the middle of dinner, after she said Stargate was one of her favorite movies. He was horrified and thought she would say no. It was much too soon. He was coming on way too strong and expected her to throw her drink in his face and storm off. To his delight, she said yes, launching herself into his arms.

"No, I didn't have it on all morning. I didn't want the students to notice before I told you guys! But with your reaction, I probably could have worn it all day and they wouldn't have noticed." Rey slapped her hand lightly on Rose's shoulder. Rey peeked over at Ben with such fondness that it made his heart swell. "I insisted on Ben letting me teach the afternoon classes with the ring on and see if they notice."

Ben shrugged. "Well even when you first came, they were insisting that you were my girlfriend anyway. The little monsters probably have been waiting for it," Ben said affectionately.

"I think Adam Sackler has a bet going," Rey giggled.

"Of course, that terror does," Ben murmured, shaking his head. "If they teased us before, now it will be relentless."

Rey's nose scrunched up. "Can't wait," Rey's tinkling laughter lit up his insides.

_One Year Later_

"Well Ms. Solo, looks like your classroom is all set up for the year," Ben smiled helping her put up the last poster she had of the milky way with an arrow that said "You are here." 

Rey rested her hands on her lower back, her left hand now sporting two rings instead of just the one. "Can you believe this?" Rey asked, joy radiating from her.

"It is quite serendipitous." Ben mused. "We thought that Mr. Yoda would never retire, yet the timing couldn't have been more perfect. The open science teacher position here was meant just for you." Ben tapped Rey's button nose.

"It's more than that even. I'm working in the school I attended years ago. The same school I met you. It's weird to think that I married my science teacher," Rey mocked.

Ben rolled his eyes. "I wasn't even your science teacher for a full month, over 10 years ago, but maybe don't lead with that when you tell your students why you decided to work here." He left a soft peck on her temple. He loved holding her or touching her in some way. It reminded him that Rey was real, not a fantasy he dreamed up, and she was his.

They stood in the middle of the classroom, scanning the walls, as if they were both filled to the brim with memories.

"You are such a big fan of force and magnets and physics," Rey started.

"As are you," Ben interjected, nodding toward her.

"And we know that there are things in nature that simply exist. The law of gravity. How force works, how there is a magnetic field on our planet. Things that just are," Rey said. "With you, and me, being here now, it feels something like that. Something that is meant to be. As gravitational pulls exist, and north and south magnets will always be drawn to one another, how there are very real forces in our existence, like the laws of science, I feel like we are like that. Permanent, unalterably drawn together."

Ben held her hand. It certainly felt like that when he had seen her again. When she had walked into his classroom as a student teacher, all sunshine and happiness. How much he had wanted to be around her. And to a certain degree when she was a teenager, not in a lecherous way, but a curiosity with her and an inexplicable protectiveness.

She gave a bark of laughter. "You should see the way you are looking at me. Am I even making any sense right now?"

"Yes, you are," Ben assured softly. "I feel the same way. This was always meant to happen, written in the stars, a force pulling us together. Forever." He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, then the rings on her fingers. His wife. Ben could hardly believe it to be true, that she loved him, that she wanted him. He got to go to bed with her every evening, and wake up to her drooling face squished up against his chest every morning. On weekends she snuggled up to his side as they caught up on the latest science documentaries. The home she shared with Ahsoka they filled with new happy memories. Games nights with Finn, Rose, and Poe, the scent of cumin filling the house as they make dinner for taco Tuesdays, the arguments they have and the make ups, the holidays that he began spending with his family again, Rey at his side. Someday, kids filling their home. All of it with Rey.

The three buns on the back of her head bobbed as she agreed with him. "Forever," Rey sighed. She rested her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and made a small hum of contentment.


End file.
